Prologue
Prologue
It was quiet in the Potter home.
The only sounds that could be heard in the house was the loud ticking of an old clock in the dining room, the soft snores from the rooms upstairs and last but not least the sounds of coffee brewing and breakfast being cooked.
It was early in the morning and nobody who came into the house from the outside would have expected that the silence would leave the home in just a few minutes. Even though everyone who has stayed in the home for longer than a few hours would have realized that this quiet was to good to be true.
The very moment the youngest Potter awakened the silence was gone for the day.
James Potter opened his eyes this morning and decided that there was a lot to do. He grabbed his glasses and ran out of his room into the room opposite of his. Still in a run he threw himself onto the bed of his twin sister shouting: „Wake up! A lot of stuff to do!“
Adaine Potter woke up to her brother landing on her. With a annoyed glare she shoved him of her. „Leave me sleep.“ James, who just had fallen from her bed loudly said with a smile: „No! A lot to do. It’s a beautiful day.“
She rubbed her eyes tiredly and then put on her glasses. James’ blurry figure became clear. „I can’t believe that you are a morning person.“ James rolled his eyes. „I can’t believe you are not a morning person. Now get up Addie.“
„I’m about to Jamie. You can go get dressed, you know? I am not about to fall asleep again.“
„If you say so. If you aren’t up and ready in 5 minutes I will not hesitate to use the bucket.“, James said while leaving the room.
The bucket was exactly what it sounded like, a bucket. Fleamont and Euphemia Potter came up with the idea of a bucket that could be filled with water by one of the twins to awaken the other, after to many bones were broken by their weird ways to wake each other up. Even now that they know how to wake up each other without destroying anything in their rooms or any of their bones the bucket is still used a lot for either pranks, or as a threat for events like this one.
While James left her room to get dressed Adaine slowly got up and get dressed. Although she wasn’t a morning person she didn’t know why she ever expected something different. James did this nearly every morning after all.
At the very time James jumped onto Adaines bed the two older Potters in the house woke up. James never really had the ability to stay silent in situations like this and the grown ups were very happy about it. It gave them the ability to stop the boy from burning the house to the ground. While James tried to get up his sister Fleamont and Euphemia Potter got up the speed of a practiced pair. Fleamont put on his pair of glasses while Euphemia was getting out their clothes for the day, whereas Euphemia went to brush her teeth while he made the bed.
As soon as they finished they made their way down to the kitchen while their kids were still getting ready. James a little more loudly than Adaine.
In the end both twins exited their rooms at the very same time. While James had put on his clothes clumsily, excited for the day Adaine lost most of her tiredness by now and got dressed in a by far less coincidental way.
James was wearing his t-shirt the wrong way around and a stain of something could be seen on his back, which would normally have been the front of his t-shirt. Adaine took one look at him hid a laugh and then ignored the way her brother was dressed.
„Is something wrong?“, James asked because he knew her well enough to perceive even a hidden laughter of her. His sister just shook her head and said innocently: „No, nothing.“ Her stomach grumbled. „I think we should get breakfast. Right Jamie?“, she asked.
Now James laughed: „Yeah, we don’t want you to starve do we?“ Adaine stuck out her tongue to her younger brother.
His only reaction was shouting: „The last one in the kitchen is a flobber-worm!“ and taking off down the stairs.
Adaine ran off after him just a few seconds later. „Hey! That is unfair! You had a head start!“, she screamed after him.
„Life isn’t fair!“
„Stop right now!“
„Never!“
The two were running down the stairs skipping multiple stairs at the same time. They ran around the corner sliding on the wooden floor and not so nearly hitting the wall at the room. The only reason the cupboard that was standing there didn’t move from it’s place was that Fleamont Potter charmed it with a sticking charm for moments exactly like this.
Not a minute later the panting Potter twins were standing in the kitchen, trying to catch their breath while the elder Potters were trying not to show that they were laughing silently. Even though James had a little head start his sister had arrived a little earlier.
„You still are slower than me you cheater.“, she said in between panting.
„It’s not cheating if I don’t win anyway.“
„Yes, it is!“
„No, it isn’t!“
„Yes, it is!“
„No, it isn’t!“
Now the breathlessness was forgotten and the twins were standing up straight and shouting at each other.
That was the moment where Euphemia decided to intervene. Otherwise this would go on for hours and she really didn’t feel like listening to this back and forth for much longer. She sighing took a step towards her children.
„Now stop it rascals. Adaine, don’t call your brother a cheater. James, it is cheating no matter if you win or not.“
„Yes Mom!“, said the twins in unison.
Euphemia took another look at her kids.
„And James sweetie. You are wearing your shirt the wrong way.“
„Yes mom!“, the younger twin said and began turning his shirt around.
Now his father put in his word laughing.
„In the best case, go upstairs and change into a new shirt buddy. There is a stain on this one“
James looked down on his shirt and turned around saying: „Oh… Just one second.“, and left the kitchen running upstairs.
While James left, Euphemia took out a few plates and put the finished food onto them.
„Are you hungry yet?“, she asked her daughter.
At exactly this moment Adaines stomach grumbled again. Euphemia laughed: „I will take that as a yes.“, and put one of the plates onto the kitchen table at the place her daughter always sat and the other onto James’ place, even though he wasn’t here at that moment. Adaine sat down, and as always when something like this happened she waited until James came back, then they both started eating happily.
„What do you two have planned for today, kids?“, asked their father, now sitting at the table and reading the Daily Prophet.
„Nothing.“
„A lot!“, the twins said at the exact same moment.
They looked at each other puzzled for a moment and then said:
„A lot.“
„Nothing!“
Fleamont shook his head laughing. „Should I even ask?“
„No!“, this time it was only James. Adaine looked at her brother questioning. After all she didn’t know what they were going to do either.
As soon as Adaine put the last bite of food in her mouth James jumped up and shouted: „Let’s go! A lot to do!“
Euphemia who had left the kitchen for a moment stuck her head through the door and reprimanded: „No shouting in the house, James!“
„Sorry Mum.“
But James started tugging Adaine and pulling her out of the kitchen anyway.
„James! Stop dragging me!“, he didn’t acknowledge her and just kept tugging on her arm.
„I can follow you even if you don’t tug me behind you!“, he still kept ignoring her.
„James!“, she tried pulling her arm away from him.
„Stop it!“, he wouldn’t budge.
James pulled his sister outside into the yard.
„What do you even have planned?“, only now he acknowledged his sister.
„Just wait and see. Come on now.“
He pulled her over the grassland that was part of the property of Potter Manor.
They passed the swing set that their father put into a tree when they were little and they passed the fallen tree that lead the way to the still standing tree that held their tree house.
He finally stopped at a big oak that was about double their size. Under it there was a big amount of stuff. Different buckets filled with things that were perfect for pranking.
Adaine glanced at the stuff and asked: „So… What do you have planned with all of this stuff?“
Her brother answered with a knowing smirk: „You know as well as I do what I have planned with this stuff.“
They stared into each others eyes. Three seconds of silence.
„Prank War.“
James now said: „You know the drill. As the challenged, you can choose your weapons first. We both have time to prepare till 12. After that anything goes. End of the war will be bedtime.“
Adaine looked over the things again and then picked up a few and left James to himself. She ran up to the rooms. She needed to get some time alone in his room to get this prank war started in a great way.
She started setting up her pranks in his room and left it in a fast pace. Then she made her way into her room. Just as she took a step into her room their mother called them.
„Kids, come down into the parlour, I have something exciting to tell you!“
Both of the twins stopped for a second in their movements contemplating if it could be a trick of the other to then decide to risk it and make their way to their mother.
Like it seemed to happen all of the time they arrived at the very same time in front of her, shoving each other a little bit for the best place right in front of their mother. Euphemia tried to hide her smile as she shouldn’t condone behavior as such but thought it amusing anyways.
Both children looked at her in this excited and cute way that only children could do the right way, as they waited to know what it was that her mother could want to tell them.
She kept silent for a while longer trying to see just how long she could prolong this before the nosiness of her children would get in her way.
Not being able to stand the silence much longer both James and Adaine started talking again.
„You wanted to tell us something?“ (Adaine)
„What is this exciting thing that you want to tell us?“ (James)
Euphemia didn’t really understand what each of them said, since they were once more talking over each other, but she got the gist of it and smiled at her children.
„Ohhh, I just got two letters in the mail, that I thought the two of you might want to read.“
The twins looked at each other seemingly having one of those conversations only by their eyes that only people who know each other really well could do.
„The Hogwarts Letter?“, both of them asked once again at the same time.
Euphemia nodded taking out two letters written in thick parchment from behind her back.
The twins took the letters out of her hand before she could even look at them to see if they were the ones for the right person. They looked down onto the letters and without looking up exchanged the letters in their hands.
Awestruck, they opened their letters and took out out the sheets of parchments with the text that both of them had awaited for years.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)
Dear Ms. Potter,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.
Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Like they seemed to do all of the time they looked up from their letters at the same time. James was buzzing in excitement lightly teetering on his feet while Adaines excitement could be seen in her eyes with her body being mostly still.
James who couldn’t wait any longer asked excitedly: „When are we going to go to Diagon Alley?“
Euphemia smiled lovingly: „You don’t need to fuzz James. It’s planned already. We want to go tomorrow.“
James did a little dance in his place. Adaine just jumped up and down two times.